444 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
Of various buzzing insects the author says that, in the Hymenoptera and 
Diptera the buzzing is due to two distinct causes, namely, the vibrations of 
which the articulation of the wing is the seat, the true buzzing, and the friction 
of the wings against the air, which modifies the former more or less. In strong- 
winged Lepidoptera, such as the Sphingidse, the buzzing is produced entirely 
by the friction of the air upon the wings ; so also with the dragon flies. — 
( Comptes rendus, 2 September, 1878.) 
Drone-Bees . — It is well known that, according to a theory of M. Dzierzon 
adopted and developed by Professor Siebold, the eggs from which drone-bees 
are produced in a hive are deposited by [the queen without fecundation, and 
that the queen-bee can even fecundate the eggs or leave them unfertilized, 
according as they are intended to produce females or males. The theory 
was founded, at least in part, upon the supposed fact that an Italian queen, 
fertilized by a German drone, would produce hybrid-workers and queens 
(females) and drones exactly like herself. M. Perez, however, disputes the 
genuineness of this fact, on the ground of observations made upon a hive in 
his possession, the queen of which, the daughter of an Italian of pure race, 
has been fertilized by a French drone. Some of the workers are Italian, 
others French, others mixed in various proportions of the two races. Among 
the males also he observed some as dark as those of the French race, although, 
according to the above theory, they ought all to have been of the Italian 
race, like their mother. He therefore carefully examined 300 of the drones, 
and obtained the following numbers : — 
151 were pure Italians. 
60 were hybrids of various degrees. 
83 were French. 
Hence he regards it as evident that the drone-eggs, like those of the 
females, are fertilized by contact with the fluid stored up in the seminal 
receptacle of the queen, and that Dzierzon’s theory must fall to the ground. 
This theory, however, was supported by other facts and experiments ; and it 
is a question whether M. Perez’s queen which he speaks of, guardedly, as the 
* fille d’une Italienne de race pure,’ was herself of pure Italian race. — 
( Comptes rendus , 9 September, 1878.) 
Prosopistoma. — MM. Joly & Vayssiere have examined the structure of this 
curious insect, only what appears to be the larval form of which is known, and 
the true position of which is consequently very doubtful (“ Comptes rendus,” 
August 5, 1878). In its form it resembles the Ephemeridse, and especially 
the larva of the American Bcetisca obesa , Say. It has the parts of the mouth 
usual in masticating insects. The respiratory system includes two kinds of 
organs : 1, the internal tracheal apparatus, represented by two main trunks, 
giving origin to numerous branches ; 2, supplementary organs situated at 
the anterior part of the dorsal surface of the abdomen in a sort of cavity, 
the upper wall of which is formed by the thorax, and which communicates 
with the outer world by three openings — two placed laterally on the ventral 
surface, and a median aperture on the dorsal surface. This respiratory 
chamber contains a tracheo-branchial apparatus, consisting of five lamelliform 
or digitiform pieces on each side. These pieces move rhythmically, and 
cause the entrance of water by the ventral apertures, and its escape by the 
dorsal one. The authors give some details as to the internal structure of 
